Gorilla Trek Africa

Gorilla Trek Africa (GTA) is all about incredible gorilla safaris  in Rwanda, Uganda, and  Congo at discounted rates. Enjoy the breathtaking gorilla tours in Bwindi impenetrable forest , Mgahinga, Volcanoes, and Virunga National Park  with us.  At Gorilla Trek Africa, we plan, organize and implement bespoke gorilla safari packages and other wildlife adventures to meet, satisfy and exceed all your travel expectations. With over 15 years of experience, we guide you to  meet the endangered gorillas in their natural habitat.  We also organize birding safaris to see rare birds in East and central Africa. Our  safari cars offer you comfortable and safe travels to all national parks in Uganda and across East Africa.

Our impressive reviews on Tripadvisor are a clear testimony of the hands-on safari services we have rendered since 2005. We do not solicit these reviews. Even the bad ones are a lesson to us to fine tune and plug gaps so as to match international standards.

Featured Gorilla Safaris and Tours around East Africa

Why consider a gorilla safari?

A gorilla safari in either Uganda or Rwanda is a great opportunity to interface with the endangered mountain gorillas. Genetically gorillas share 98% of their Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) with humans. The magical hour spent in the presence of these great apes has been described by past travelers as one of the best wildlife experiences. Mountain gorillas do not survive in captivity. Therefore, they cannot be found in any zoo anywhere in the world. Due to this reason, gorilla trekking is now the most popular tourist experience in Uganda, DR Congo and Rwanda attracting thousands of visitors to this part of the world.

Gorilla Trek Africa (GTA) is a one-stop shop for discounted gorilla tours and Big Five safaris in East Africa. Our safaris also extend to Tanzania, Kenya, and Ethiopia. We have offices in both Rwanda and Uganda. We attend to our guests 24/7.

Visit vast national parks such as the Serengeti in Tanzania and Masai Mara in Kenya for breathtaking annual wildebeest migrations. Our professional driver guides guarantee travelers safe and comfortable transfers to all tourist spots all over Africa. Do you want to discover the indigenous tribes of Africa? Our customized cultural tours offer you chance to learn and experience the traditions, norms and customs of local people in Africa.

Besides gorilla tour , we also organize chimpanzee trekking & habituation in Kibale Forest and Kyambura gorge; golden monkey tracking in Mgahinga and Volcanoes National Parks. Other wildlife experiences include watching the tree climbing lions in Ishasha sector south of Queen Elizabeth National Park, white-water rafting at the source of the Nile, mountain climbing to the peaks of Rwenzori, Elgon, Nyiragongo and the Virunga mountains.

Travelers with GTA are assured of exceptional gorilla trips and other amazing experiences in East and Central Africa. For a test of our outstanding services, refer to tripadvisor.com and safaribookings.com.

Our gorilla safaris take place in Rwanda, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). These are the only 3 destinations in the world where you can find the endangered mountain gorillas. There are currently about 1,064 mountain gorillas in these countries living in two separate locations. One group lives in the Virunga Mountains that straddle the borders of the 3 countries while the other lives in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwest Uganda. National Parks protecting mountain gorillas within the Virunga Mountains include Virunga National Park in DR Congo, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. A gorilla safari to any of the 3 countries gives travellers an opportunity to meet face to face with the endangered mountain gorillas which share 98% of the human DNA. These are the only destinations in the world where these rare great apes can be found and thousands of travellers flock here to trek gorillas, for a lifetime experience.

Comparing gorilla safaris in Rwanda, Uganda & DR Congo

The gorilla trekking experience is almost the same in all the 3 countries though there are several factors that make the encounter in each country unique. In terms of the cost, Rwanda is the most pricy of all the 3 countries. The gorilla permit which allows visitors to enter the gorilla park is sold at $1,500 per person in Rwanda. The same is sold at $700 per person in Uganda for foreign non residents, $600 for foreign residents and Uganda Shillings 250,000 to East African residents whereas in DR Congo it is sold at $450 per person. In terms of distance, it only takes about 3 hours to drive from Kigali International Airport to Volcanoes National park in the northwest of the country. This is not the case with Uganda where it takes about 10 hours to drive from Entebbe International Airport to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in the southwest. For DR Congo, it’s a 4 hours drive from Kigali International Airport to the eastern town of Goma; and a 2 hours drive from Goma to Virunga National Park due to the bumpy nature of the road.

Rwanda’s high standard accommodation facilities  make her a high end destination. Both Rwanda and Uganda are relatively peaceful in terms of security while the situation is a bit fragile in DR Congo due to rebel activities in the eastern part of the country.

Best season for gorilla safaris

The dry season between June to September and December to February is the best time to trek mountain gorillas. Gorillas live at high altitudes in montane rainforests which can be very difficult to trek in rain season due to unfavorable conditions in the parks. Gorillas also tend to roam freely in their habitat in the dry season which makes them easy to find unlike in the wet season when they confine themselves at one place. Some roads leading to gorilla habitats still have marram and they turn muddy in the rain season making it very hard to navigate.

Gorilla permits

A gorilla permit or gorilla pass is the primary requirement for trekking the endangered mountain gorillas in any of the 3 countries. Gorilla permits can be bought online through a trusted tour agent or directly from the issuing authority. It is highly advisable that those intending to trek gorillas book their gorilla permits at least 6 months in advance because of their limited availability. The number of trekkers visiting gorillas per day is limited in order to limited to 8 trackers per gorilla gorilla group.  The price of a gorilla permit is different in all the 3 countries. Read more..

Gorilla habituation

Gorilla habituation is very instrumental in facilitating gorilla tourism. Gorilla trekking wouldn’t be possible without the habituation process. In this case, wild gorilla groups are tracked by rangers for a period of time in order to make them get used to the presence of humans. After succeeding in influencing their behavior, these groups are officially open to tourism. The gorilla habituation has been very successful in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where over 20 groups have so far been habituated. The Bwindi Impenetrable Park is the only destination where the experience is carried out.  The habituation process lasts for 4 hours per day and those who want to take part in it are charged $1,500 per person. Read more..

Gorilla groups/families

Naturally gorillas live in social groups which are referred to as gorilla families. It is worthy noting that gorillas share 98% of the human DNA and therefore it is not surprising to learn that they posses some of the human traits like living in families. Gorilla groups differ in size with some having as many many as 25 members while others with as few as 2 members. Generally, an average gorilla family has got about 15 members. Just like humans, a gorilla family is led by an alpha male known as a silverback who represents a father figure in the family. The other members in the gorilla family include several females with their young ones as well as a few juveniles. Male gorillas reach maturity at an average age of about 12 years and at this stage, they tend to move away from the family and strive to form their own group. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwest Uganda has got the highest number of gorillas as well as the habituated gorilla groups. Read more..

Gorilla trekking rules/guidelines

Mountain gorillas being endangered species, their protection is always prioritised to ensure that they continue to thrive in their natural habitat. In order to achieve this, authorities came up with a few rules to guide trekkers on how to go about the gorilla trekking exercise while not affecting the wellbeing of the animals. These include among others, limiting the number of trekkers visiting gorillas per day, restricting time spent in their presence, etc. Read more..

Mountain gorilla habitats/parks

Mountain gorillas live in 4 different habitats/parks of which 3 are located within the Virunga Mountains straddling the borders of DR Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. These include Virunga National Park in DR Congo, Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. The other gorilla habitat is Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwest Uganda. Each habitat is very crucial to the survival and existence of the gorillas though they may differ in terms of size, vegetation, altitude and the number of animals protected. Bwindi has got the highest number of mountain gorillas (about 450), followed by Volcanoes (about 350), Virunga has about 250 while Mgahinga is just visited occasionally by a few gorillas crossing from Rwanda. In terms of accessibility, Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park is the most easy to get to with the shortest driving distance of about 2-3 hours from the capital Kigali, Bwindi and Mgahinga  can also easily be accessed from Kigali rather than from Kampala. Virunga in Congo can be accessed by air from Kigali International Airport to Goma and then a drive to the park. Read more…

Packing list for gorilla trekking

Mountain gorilla trekking is a unique experience that takes place in montane rainforests of east and central Africa. Due to the nature of the terrain, weather conditions and the vegetation in the gorilla trekking destinations, travellers are required to pack specific items for facilitation. Some of the most crucial items on the gorilla trekking gear list include rain jacket, hiking boots, gloves, among others. Read more..

Rwanda gorilla safaris

Volcanoes national park in northwest Rwanda is the single destination for gorilla safaris in the country. The park is park is part of the greater Virunga Massif which also extends into DR Congo and Uganda, known for protecting the endangered mountain gorillas. There are 12 habituated gorilla families in Volcanoes national park that are visited by travellers every day. The total number of mountain gorillas in the park is estimated to be about 350 animals. Some of the gorilla families that are regularly visited in Rwanda include Susa, Amahoro, Karisimbi, Sabyinyo, Hirwa, Kwitonda, among others. According to the gorilla trekking guidelines in Rwanda, each gorilla family is visited once per day by a group of 8 trekkers. Visitors are allowed to spend one hour in the presence of gorillas. Rwanda’s gorilla permit is sold at $1,500 per person and can be bought online via a trusted local tour agent. Rwanda is arguably the most ideal destination for gorilla trekking safaris given the convenience in accessing the gorilla park and the country’s developed infrastructure in terms of accommodation facilities and transport network. Read more..

Gorilla safaris in Uganda

Uganda is one of the leading destinations as far as gorilla safaris are concerned. Bwindi Impenetrable National park in the southwest protects the highest number of mountain gorillas in the world. The park now has over 20 habituated gorilla families that are available to be visited every day. There are four gorilla trekking sectors within Bwindi Impenetrable national park, namely; Buhoma, Ruhija, Rushaga and Nkuringo. Gorilla permits are allocated for each sector and trekkers are required to visit gorillas in the corresponding sector attached to their permit. The impressive number of mountain gorillas  in Bwindi gives trekkers almost 100% chance of meeting their allocated gorilla family in the park. Some of the most common gorilla families that are regularly visited by trekkers in Bwindi include Rushegura, Mubare, Bitukura, Habinyanja, Kyaguriro, Oruzongo, Nshongi, Mishaya, Nkuringo, among others. Uganda’s gorilla permit is sold at $700 per person for foreign nonresidents, $600 for foreign residents in East Africa and Uganda Shillings 250,000 for East African residents. Travellers planning to trek gorillas in Uganda are encouraged to book their gorilla permits online at leat 6 months in advance due to their limited availability. Read more..

Gorilla safaris in Congo

Although DR Congo may be less popular for gorilla safaris compared to Uganda and Rwanda due to the insecurity in the areas around gorilla habitats, gorilla tours here are more diverse and intriguingly rewarding. In addition to mountain gorillas in Virunga national park, visitors to DR Congo can also see another subspecies of the gorilla, the Grauer’s gorilla or the eastern lowland gorilla in Kahuzi-Biega national park. After watching the mountain gorillas in either Uganda or Rwanda, curious travellers may decide to proceed and see the eastern lowland gorillas in Congo to maximise their primate experience in the region.

Given the presence of these two different gorilla subspecies in Congo in close proximity, Congo is arguably the best destination for gorilla trekking experience. This is in addition to the friendly and affordable gorilla permit price which is the cheapest compared to Uganda and Rwanda at $400 per person. Currently there are 8 habituated gorilla groups in Virunga national park that can be visited by trekkers. These include Munyaga, Mapuwa Rugendo, Nyakamwe Lulengo, Bageni, Humba, and Kabirizi. Kahuzi-Biega national park has got 9 groups of eastern lowland gorillas although 5 of these are habituated for tourism. These include Mpungwe gorilla family, Chimanuka, Bonnani, Mugahuka, and Nganwa.

As a precaution to safeguard tourists, the gorilla parks in Congo are always closed to tourism during periods of intense conflicts in the region. Park authorities also ensure that a good number of rangers is deployed in the parks to safeguard the animals. Travellers who wish to trek gorillas in Congo are encouraged to first enquire about the security situation in the area and whether the parks are open for tourism. Read more..

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